Historic Couldrey House & Gardens, Wenderholm Regional Park

Couldrey House, Wenderholm Regional Park

Couldrey House is an historic Victorian-Edwardian family home set in parkland. It is fully furnished but in a mix of styles reflecting the eras and preoccupations of some notable past owners. It is a two-storey house with nine rooms, and with explanatory labels and a host to help guide you.

This gracious house sits between Wenderholm Beach and the Puhoi River. Both are just minutes away by foot. Couldrey House is in Wenderholm Regional Park, a 40-minute drive (48kms) north of Auckland CBD.

Visitors are warmly welcomed!

Sat & Sundays 1–4pm all year (except Christmas Day and Good Friday) also;

Weekdays 1–4pm from 26 December – Easter Monday

Adults $5.00, Children 16 and under free

Events are sometimes staged in the garden - contact us for details

Enjoy some sea air, the fragrance of fresh flowers from the cottage garden, some familiar and favourite objects from your past in an historic homestead, and the old worldliness of a mansion where you least expect to find it.

Couldrey House History

Who lived here?

An early entrepreneur extraordinaire

An Indian Army Major and his artist wife

A wealthy widow with a social conscience

An eccentric sea captain

A customs agent and avid collector

Robert Graham (1820-1885) was a tourism entrepreneur, farmer, businessman and national and local politician. The homestead he built in 1857 has been shifted, extended and renovated to become the Couldrey House you see today.

Major John Whitney founded the Colonial Ammunition Co. in 1885. Mrs Harriet Whitney was a talented artist. The Whitneys lived here for 20 years - the first permanent residents - they doubled the size of the house, where they entertained generously.

Mrs Annabelle McKail Geddes and her family enjoyed Wenderholm as a holiday retreat from her busy philanthropic life in Auckland.

Captain Thomas Caradoc Kerry (1859-1944) was a sea-captain with charm and a colourful past. In later life (his Wenderholm years) he was simply a recluse.

H.W. 'Tim' Couldrey was a shipping agent and enthusiastic collector. He and his wife Brenda Edmonds Couldrey restored the house from near dereliction (1956-60), added some of the comforts and conveniences and hosted many V I P's. The Couldreys owned Wenderholm for 30 years and were the last private owners of the house.